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I did Bob's on Saturday and agree it was great. if you took the steep line straight up I thought it was grade 4. there is an easier line on the left. as always, if you go up the groove at the top it's a grovel, but the left side of the bulge was fantastic.

Climbed Dracula and then The Hobbit this morning. Shit was a mess in there! Dracula an Hobbit where fine buts lots is not in at all and other stuff is baked bad. Lots has melted out in just the last two weeks. Kinda a sad sight to be honest!

Don't get me wrong there is stuff to climb "kinda" but if we keep getting these warm days there will not be for long!!

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DLottmann

Good call, beware everything in the sun right now. Cinema was good yesterday but the direct finish is on itís way out. Gully #1 is borderline climbable and Iím guessing Cauliflower is toast. However, East Face Slabs, Hitchcock, and the Cleft are AMAZING right now. Well, Hitchcock is OK, but East Face Slabs (see Hero Ice video in other thread) and the Cleft are FAT and PLASTIC.

ran up & did Shoestring Gully this morning. started at 10:30 and back at the car at 1:30. it was 14 degrees, windy and snowing when I got to the pull-off. there was a LOT of snow in the upper gully, it had obviously sloughed Sunday. the tracks/steps were obliterated above the second ice bulge. I was planning on doing the runnel pitch that ends at the overlook, but I was on the left side of the gully & didn't want to traverse over right through a big snow pillow to get to it. however it was a major wallow from there to the top! [sigh] I stopped at the overlook for a snack and it was a bit windy on the ridge and you could see the snow up on Willard. the trail is well beat-out so it was a nice walk down. a couple of easy ways around the 3-4 icy spots.

More snow out there this past weekend than maybe all year. After Frankenstein i finished my day off solo on LHMW then Hitchcock and then the Cleft. I Barely needed crampons to climb the Cleft with all the snow piled up around the ice. Still lots of fun though.

I also thought about venturing up Shoestring but figured it would be a bad idea alone with all the fresh snow. Gives me a good idea though if i cant find a mid week partner. How was the runnel up top?

Went over to Cinema but there was a party on the first pitch. It looked pretty baked and not super safe, so we climbed LHMW, a little beat out but still in fine shape, thin at the top out. My first time climbing it so maybe that's just how it is.

The Cleft, super fun, fat bulges, a fair amount of shit coming down the walls.

Upper Hitchcock, the deathcicles hanging above made us decide that maybe this warm sunny day wasn't the day for it, however it looked good.

And East Face Slabs Right, big and fat if you can get through the snow cone exterior.

Great day out there!

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"Men hang out signs indicative of their respective trades: shoe makers hang out a gigantic shoe; a jewler a monster watch; and the dentist hangs out a gold tooth; but in the Franconia Mountains of New Hampshire god almighty has hung out a sign to say in New England he makes men".Daniel Webster 18?

DLottmann

I saw a truck parked at the spot on my way back from Highland Center around 4pm. Lower gully looks horrible, all rock. Upper part looks OK but beware of being up there if the temps crest 32 degrees. Doesnít take much for that gully to be a narrow bowling alley. Today was 31 degrees when I drove by at 4pm... pay attention to the temp on days like today...

That being said Standard and Dracula looked fat and awesome, LHMW looks great still... Silver Cascade and Flume have open water in them now... Hitchcock is probably still great with a watchful eye on the hanging stuff on Upper Hitchcock.. Cleft is still good with more snow than I like in it... Elephantís head is still quite doable, but getting baked...

I took a hike out to Frankenstein yesterday and found a considerable amount of activity despite the recent temperatures and conditions. There was what appeared to be a class of 7-8 climbers up at Lost in the Forest, I counted 9 people (may have been 10 as I think someone was up in the woods belaying) on standard route. There were three parties on Dracula. Two were leaving as I got there and a second just starting up the right side (around 1:30-2:00PM). There was also a group of two climbers on Pegasus, heading toward the rock finish which still looks pretty nice! Some beautiful blue is on Standard. Oh, I passed another couple on their way in to do Dracula...it seemed like mid-season. Wish I could still swing a tool. Get after it while it is still out there...the clock is ticking!

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"Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you criticize them, you will be a mile away from them and you will have their shoes."